An Egyptian military court on Wednesday reduced the sentence of blogger Maikel Nabil Sanad to two-years, much to the disappointment of his family and supporters who had hoped that he would be freed. Nabil had been sentenced on 10 April to three years for insulting the military in a blog post. Yesterday´s verdict, which was reached
after weeks of postponements and jockeying by the court, cannot
be appealed.
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| Maikel Nabil Sanad |
“Maikel Nabil Sanad should be released immediately and
unconditionally,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty International’s
Middle East and North Africa Deputy Director. “He is a prisoner of conscience who should never have been prosecuted in the first place,” Sahraoui said.
Nabil holds controversial views concerning Israel,
including calling for normalization – which has left him outside the
massive “No Military Trials” campaign started by a group of local
activists. He got, however the support of Samira Ibrahim,
the female activist who has filed a lawsuit against the Supreme Council
of the Armed Forces over their “virginity tests,” who came to show her
solidarity.
Maikel Nabil has been on a hunger strike since August 23. His brother Mark told Bikyamasr.com
at
the court last week that his brother is facing liver and kidney problems but that he is determined to continue his hunger strike if he is sentenced to prison.
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